Humans of Fashion Foundation launches with new app to combat sexual misconduct

Co-founders, model Kristina Romanova, and singer-songwriter and lawyer Antoniette Costa, launched the Humans of Fashion Foundation this Tuesday, unveiling a global platform that seeks to tackle sexual harassment in the fashion industry.

Humans of Fashion Foundation co-founders, Kristina Romanova (left) and Antoniette Costa - Humans of Fashion FoundationThe new platform aims to offer guidance and support to victims of sexual harassment, abuse and misconduct in the fashion industry by connecting them with pro bono and subsidized legal professionals, as well as counselors and support networks.

The foundation created the application, which is based around real-time reporting, in the hopes that it can revolutionize the approach to the problem of sexual assault in the industry and facilitate discussion around the subject.

The Humans of Fashion Foundation endeavors to create a safer professional environment for people working at all levels of fashion and to foster support between industry veterans and newcomers.

“With recent campaigns such as #metoo and #timesup, social media has become an empowering tool to facilitate a collective voice. Every human deserves to have his or her voice heard. Every human deserves to have his or her rights protected. But not everyone can afford it,” stated Kristina Romanova in a release.

“In addition to the financial burden, not everyone knows how to navigate the system to get the help they need,” Antoniette Costa added. “We want to be the welcoming connection to assure dreams don't end up on the floor like the quick change of clothes before the Runway.”

The launch follows hot on the heels of the CFDA’s announcement of a new set of guidelines designed to combat sexual harassment, released in the run-up to New York Fashion Week.

Indeed, as more and more victims come forward and industry practice is increasingly called into question, fashion institutions are having to prove that they are taking definite steps towards stamping out inappropriate or abusive behavior both within their organizations and in the wider fashion community.

With big name photographers such as Terry Richardson, Bruce Webber and Mario Testino facing accusations of sexual misconduct, Condé Nast recently established a new set of rules covering the photos used in all of its publications. The code of conduct bans the use of unaccompanied models under the age of 18 and stipulates that all nudity and sexually provocative poses must be approved by the subject of the photo in advance.

The Humans of Fashion Foundation and its platform launched with an event on February 6 and has already attracted the attention of industry leaders such as Sarah Goore Reeves, Paul Schindler, Panache Desai, and Caron Bernstein, who have all joined the foundation’s advisory board.